Chapter 34: Beg You to Snatch It Back -1

{Yang Zicang, get your weapon back.}
[Pour a 4000 into me.] (Authorization: Boss Wang promises to invest 4000N in me.)
Wang Yu’an’s voice boomed loud and clear in his mind, frantic and screaming, nearly frantic with rage.
{You must sell it to me!}
{You son of a bitch! You don’t understand the value of Chrono Weapons at all; you might not even know that Amplified Chronal suppression takes two days to regenerate. Yet a Chrono Weapon can strike with dozens or even hundreds of years of chronal impact with a single swing!}
“Ah? Really? Why didn’t you all say so sooner? They’re already gone.”
{They haven’t even stepped out the door! Hurry up!}
“This… that’s awkward, isn’t it? I already said it. Isn’t that going back on my word?”
{Screw you, man.}
This remark nearly infuriated certain individuals. Amid the storm of curses, Yang Zicang nodded in satisfaction and silenced everyone’s telepathic communication.
Never did he expect getting robbed could bring such benefits—Yang Zicang delightedly sensed the thousands of years of lifespan coming in, albeit invested a bit late.
Insults aside, Wang Yu’an, that scoundrel, didn’t withdraw his investment.
“Over four thousand years, huh.”
Not bad, this kid—he’s got quite a long life, a true professional investor indeed.
Wonder how many chrono-years Luo Bin will charge Wang Yu’an for this deal.
Ahead, the bare-armed Luo Bin was already charging in with a roaring battle cry.
“No one takes the Chrono Weapon—that’s our tool. Yang Zicang’s my team member, the weapon belongs to us!”
The streak of crimson golden light in his hands made the expressions beneath the masks of the seven men shift dramatically, as they scurried to evade the fatso’s pursuit.
Though brandishing a long spear, Yu Chen dared not step forward; with just a century of chrono-force, it was no match for a single swipe of that blade that could drain a man’s life away, pale in comparison to common steel.
Just then, the door through which everyone had intended to leave dimmed abruptly.
“Shit, this space has been synchronized by a frequency crystal!”
Yang Zicang turned his gaze to Liang Xi beside him, who was cocking his head and scrutinizing his expression.
“What does ‘synchronizing’ mean?”
“It means someone’s locked this place down with a C-grade interleaved frequency crystal.”
In the distance, Yan Yi assessed the newly arriving group of masked individuals through his detection feed.
This time, it’s truly a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
This group, carrying New Moon-level frequency crystals, sealed off the rift as soon as they entered. Now, without the permission of those holding the crystal stones, no one would be able to leave this place until this overlapping land was stabilized!
“With this, we can lock the door and beat the trapped dogs, hahaha!”
“Brothers, charge!”
The two chaotic groups instantly clashed into melee, while Yu Chen, wielding a spear, was the primary target.
“Damn, this weapon can’t infuse a time sequence at all.”
Bang! Two figures leaped out from the crowd. One was holding an iron rod radiating a dense golden shadow, smashing it onto his arm in one blow.
Yu Chen’s expression changed. That sudden blow aimed at him actually carried a time-sequence amplification of over five thousand years.
Just having saved his arm, before he could react, another tall figure landed beside him and sent over a gold-shadowed uppercut straight for his chin!
“Aaaah!”
With countless battle experiences, Yu Chen hastily jumped back to dodge.
He raised his spear and swung it, but the opponent, clearly better-trained in professional combat, snorted coldly, kicked the Century Weapon spear aside, and rapidly rained down blows with both fists.
Bang! Bang! After two punches, Yu Chen’s arms were blown apart. Wracked by the bloody, shell-ripped agony, he stumbled and fell backward.
“Got him!”
This opponent was clearly the leader of this team. His voice was deep as a bell, filled with authority.
“Give back the weapon!” Luo Bin cut a bloody path through the chaotic crowd with his steel sword. At this moment, the red glow atop it had turned pure gold, signifying that the timeline had dropped to less than ten thousand years.
“Hmm? The Chrono Weapon is under control!”
The masked leader lifted his gaze toward Yang Zicang, his eyes cold as ice, as if regarding a mere beast to be toyed with at will.
“Third, stop this guy.” He glanced at Luo Bin and said in a deep voice.
“Yes!”
One of the men in the group quickly retreated. His model rapidly expanded, and then a pitch-black object smacked heavily onto Luo Bin with a thud.
Luo Bin’s nimble figure instantly seemed pierced by something. The longsword clattered to the ground as cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he collapsed.
Clutching his chest, he stared at the masked man.
“Luo Bin, what’s wrong?” Yang Zicang called out urgently from the stairs.
“My… heart… this ability… you are… You are the palace master of the Red Squirrel Palace, King Li?”
“Recognized me, huh? That’s right, I am the palace master.”
Luo Bin’s expression shifted abruptly: “So it really is you… my heart state… it’s been swapped. You lot—you must be imprisoning someone somewhere and swapped our states.”
The few people around, including Yu Chen, trembled slightly.
Recalling how their previous opponents had suddenly suffered inexplicable severe injuries, they now realized the cause. It turned out to be imprisoning someone, injuring them, and at a critical moment swapping that person’s state with another.
The tall masked man tore off his face covering, revealing a face that inspires awe without anger.
“So what if I am.” He casually tossed the silver Chrono Weapon in his hand, and someone nearby caught it.
“Yang Zicang, relinquish control of the Chrono Weapon immediately, or I will personally see you to your death.”
King Li exuded a tangible aura of pressure as he stepped onto the stage and headed toward the stairs.
Yang Zicang squinted, realizing that delivering this weapon today would not be easy.
……
He took a deep breath, looking down at the man who, though unarmed, radiated a formidable threat.
The white ring on the so-called Palace Master’s chest reappeared, and his fists were also covered in a golden mist-like flame.
“Surrender willingly, or it will be taken from you by force after death.”
King Li’s voice shook the entire space.
Yang Zicang extended his arm sideways, his gaze fixed on the man below, and whispered to Liang Xi, “Lend me the weapon.”
Feeling the wooden grip in his hand, he exhaled two streams of turbid air.
The young man, clad in a worn-out elderly shirt, his face as sharp as if carved by a knife, resolutely raised the sword—a blade honed from reinforced steel. Within the four-thousand-year number inscribed in the circle on his chest, it instantly reset to zero.
Four thousand years, fourfold amplification.
Boom! Red phantom flames erupted!
Yang Zicang leaped into the air, and mid-flight, he gripped the longsword with both hands and brought it down.
“Haah!”
Below, the palace master, Li Wang, instantly revealed a cruel smile. Amid the golden phantom of his fists, strands of red threads suddenly emerged.
“Since I dared to come here, of course I’ve prepared. Come on, let’s have a man-to-man fight!”
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The moment Yang Zicang landed, he closed in with steady and swift steps, his fists leaving afterimages as the air exploded with sounds like an avalanche.
Li Wang’s fists surged like a roaring tide.
“Hah!”
Yang Zicang sidestepped the inevitable punch, maneuvering through the flurry of fists like a leaf on the water.
“How can this be…”
Each time Li Wang’s fists were about to strike Yang Zicang, they would barely miss his face, hair, or the side of his chest by a hair’s breadth.
Countless onlookers held their breath watching this battle: this newcomer could actually hold his own against such a martial arts master!
The moment Li Wang tore off his mask, everyone had already confirmed his identity.
Li Wang, who named his team like an ancient martial arts sect, was in reality a fist-fighting expert who once owned his own fighting club.
In this world where everyone found it hard to cope, he instead grew fond of it. This place was perfect for someone like him, who could profit from martial arts techniques.
Within this past year, he had already defeated several individuals who had once roamed freely in this area, obtaining a large amount of sequence and gathering a following of like-minded enthusiasts. Thus, he proclaimed himself the sect leader, intending to establish his own school. He even changed his real name.
“If the Century Weapon falls into Li Wang’s hands, even the headquarters will have a hard time taking it back!”
“It depends on whether he can kill Yang Zicang. If he can kill him, then the headquarters will have a reason to discipline him!”
“Hah, discipline Li Wang? That will probably just be another waste of sequence in battle. Those elites at headquarters won’t waste their sequence on a strong man like him.”
[I have received an investment of 1,000 N from Yang Qian.]
“Yang Qian? That good-for-nothing?”
Yang Zicang was afraid that the surnamed Wang would withdraw his investment, which would mean he was finished for today. Unexpectedly, just as he was worrying, someone came to invest.
And it turned out to be that Yang Qian, whom he had just beaten up badly.
Could it be that I have some talent for salesmanship? As he dodged a flurry of punches, this thought crossed his mind.
{Yang Zicang, if you consent to sell the weapon to me, I will vest five thousand units in you to set you up for eventual survival.}
A voice he didn’t immediately recognize proactively relayed inside the Mental Link.
{And so with me; if you consign me a like favor, I will assign two thousand sequence and full authority for but one year from now. You may sling them in all freedoms,”}
Another added. Straight of that went some other third person.
{“What say you, my boy? There is among us quite richer in output these for you—they pass funds to your claim on condition for yay or nay them then momentaneously!}
Voices chattered in the Mental Link, but no one actually offered any investment.
“Ha.”
Under the shadow of fists, Yang Zicang dodged and retreated. Fortunately, he only faced this one opponent; if another expert of the same caliber showed up, he would definitely have no room to maneuver.
This person was nothing like the brainwashed individuals who had rushed down from the subway.
Even though his ability could alter the trajectory of the opponent’s punches, the enemy noticed this after a few seconds and began using both fists to restrict his movement range, continuously forcing him into cramped corners with his body.
And although he himself wielded a weapon, he couldn’t find a chance to strike.
This was what it meant to face a martial grandmaster!
Even if his ability could adjust part of the opponent’s punch trajectory, against someone whose every casual move was a seamless technique, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he could land a sure hit.
Even ten thousand years of Chrono amplification couldn’t afford him any mistake.
Once offset, he would fall into an abyss of no return.
“Damn it.”
At the same time, Yan Yi had withdrawn from Yang Zicang’s Mental Link and contacted his companion on the scene.
“Bro, can you hold on?”
[Don’t worry at all.]
Tong Wenqi had been hiding behind the crowd all along.
After the other group acquired the Chrono Weapon, they surrounded Luo Bin and started beating him with the weapon, using it like a club.
“Worthless! Even if this weapon is yours, what does it matter?”
“You said it’s yours, so have it stop deducting your Chrono!”
One hundred per hit, and even thousands of years of Chrono can only withstand a few dozen blows.
Luo Bin’s blue cap had long been knocked off, his horrific-looking wound appearing somewhat fierce and vicious.